Interim Update for September 25, 2020

Pines Retreat Day on Monday

Since 2005, I have participated in fall and spring 1-2 day retreats with pastor colleagues at Our Lady of the Pines Retreat Center in Fremont, OH. Our fall retreat was just a one day event, on Monday. There were nine of us in attendance. Unable to attend was Pr. Larry Trover, who is still recovering from Covid-19. He spent some time in the hospital, and lost 15 pounds. If you ever see Larry, you would know that he doesn't have 15 pounds to lose. But he is getting better, albeit slowly.

A week for yard work

I took advantage of the favorable weather outlook to tackle the project of reseeding dead spots on my lawn. The problem areas have been only in the front, as that area gets exposed sun all day long, and after a very hot dry summer, splotches of turf bit the dust. Good rain in late August and September brought some of the dormant areas back to life, but the dead areas failed to resurrect.

This project took many more hours that I expected, and I took some personal time on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to finish the job. I ended up using 15 40 lb. bags of top soil (1 cubic foot each), about 8 pounds of grass seed, and half of a jumbo bag of peat moss for mulch. Now I have to start watering. I took a couple pics of the finished job. You can see them here.

Confirmation - Lord's Prayer Review

Confirmation class on Wednesday was a blessed break from the lawn project. With the weather still very nice, we met outside again, and this time did a Lord's Prayer Review with youth writing out the Lord's Prayer by petition. We concluded by reviewing each petition and hearing the explanation form the catechism.

Thursday Morning Live

We continue our study of Acts, the Bishop's bible study, supporting our them this year, Mission. I conducted the Zoom meeting from home, after which I returned to the task at hand -- lawn repair.

LInks for you

• Bishop Daniel's weekly message
• 2021 Compensation Guidelines
• NWOS E-News
• New Beginnings - news from Trinity Seminary. Dean Kleinhans speaks about the Lutheran civil rights icon who died recently.

Interim Update for September 18, 2020

Annual Meeting Date set

The annual meeting of the congregation for elections and approval of the 2021 budget has been scheduled for Sunday, November 22, following the 10:00 am worship service. The meeting will be in the church sanctuary, and members will also be able to attend by way of Zoom, including connecting with a land-line phone or smartphone. Online voting will be done by way of a Google Form, which will be sent by way of a web link, which can be posted in the chat of Zoom.

Beginning a Culture of Generosity

The Stewardship Team met on Thursday for the second of six Zoom meetings to help lead us through our annual fall Stewardship Drive/Program. This series of Zoom meetings, attended by several other congregations in our synod, is sponsored by our NWOS through GSB Fundraising, a stewardship and fundraising consulting firm that provides resources for churches and non-profits. One recommendation of this program is to collect and tell "Outcome Stories" that share the ways that God has impacted people's lives through our congregation's ministry. Could you help us with generating some stories that I could share either on Sunday morning or in the letters we will be sending as part of our campaign? Listen to GSB staff member Mike Ward as he describes what makes for a good Out come story. You can view Mike's 7-minute YouTube video HERE. If you have an outcome story you'd be willing to share, email it to me at mark@bogen.org.

Confirmation Class reviews Ten Commandments

Our confirmation class reviewed the Ten Commandments (one of our units from last year) at our Wednesday night meeting. We again put the sidewalk chalk to work, as youth used ten parking spaces to write out big each of the 10 ways that God protects us. And reminds us of our need for Christ. I posted some pics on the St. John's Facebook page, which you can view HERE.

Nominating committee

The nominating committee for the coming election is Nancy Pickens, Rocky Eskins, and I think there's one more -- can someone help? Nominations of at least one candidate are needed for each of the following:

• Executive Team (one year terms)
  • President
  • Vice-President
  • Secretary
  • Treasurer
• Committees (three year terms - name of those completing their terms at the end of the year in parenthesis - I'm not sure who is eligible for a second term)
  • Christian Education (Sherri D.)
  • Evangelsim (vacant)
  • Fellowship (MInetta E.)
  • Property (Lenny B.)
  • Stewardship (Emma K.)
  • Worship and Music (Cathy O.)

Funeral Friday

I conducted a graveside funeral service today at Castalia Cemetery for Linda Moser, who died last month after a brief battle with cancer. This family was not associated with a local church, so Hannah asked if I could do the service and I agreed. This is one of many ways that St. John's responds to ministry needs. Funerals are always excellent times to proclaim the gospel and the hope of resurrection.

The Giving Tree

The Giving Tree is an outreach program that has previously been sponsored by the Bellevue Ministerial Association, but has now been assumed by Zion United Church of Christ Fireside. The program provides clothing items (hats, gloves, socks, pajamas, underwear, shirt/sweatshirt, jeans/sweatpants) to eligible families. Here's a list of eligibility and requirements:

• For children ages newborn through high school seniors
• Children must reside within Bellevue School district
• You must qualify for Fish and Loaves assistance
• You will receive a pick-up card in the mail
• Pick-up day will be Saturday, December 19, from 10am to 2pm at Fireside UCC church.

An application can be viewed and downloaded HERE. Application deadline is postmarked by October 16th.

Apparel Sale Fundraiser

Heather has been spearheading an apparel sale fundraiser to benefit St. John's preschool. She reports that a number of orders have been received, as well as contributions. This effort has raised about $1,000 so far (Yayyyy!!!) MailChimp emails have been sent, but just in case you're still looking to order something (t-shirt, polo, sweatshirt, blanket) with a custom St. John's Lutheran Church logo, you can view the order form HERE. Completed, paid orders are due in the church office on Sunday morning, September 20. Orders will be delivered on October 4. Heather says that it will also be possible to place orders later (e.g. as Christmas gifts), but the best time is now!

Zoom meetings this week

• Tuesday - Bishop Daniel's meeting with synod pastors, deacons and leaders -- always inspirational
• Thursday - Thursday Morning Live! Bible study - Bishop's Bible Study on the Book of Acts
• Thursday - Stewardship Zoomed in to Beginning a Culture of Generosity (see above paragraph)
• Thursday - Healthy Congregations Leadership Series (see below)
• Friday - Healthy Congregations Leadership Series (see below)

2020-2021 Continuing Education

My primary Continuing Education for the coming nine months will be the Leadership Series offered by Healthy Congregations (HC). HC is the organization founded by Lutheran pastor Peter Steinke, who died suddenly in July at the age of 82. HC was the source for the workshops in which we participated in 2019 led by Pastor Rob Johnson. The Leadership Series is an in depth dive into Bowen Family Systems theory and its application to congregational life. It meets one Friday (full day) a month for eight months from September - May (December excluded). The September session was held two afternoon this Thursday and Friday. For more info on the Leadership Series, go HERE.

Links for you

• Seeds Monthly
• ELCA Worship News
• New Beginnings Weekly message from Dr. Kit Kleinhans, Dean of Trinity Seminary
• Bishop Daniel's weekly email

Interim Update for September 11, 2020

A Prayer for the Anniversary of 9/11

O God, our hope and refuge, in our distress we come quickly to you. Shock and horror of that tragic day have subsided, replaced now with an emptiness, a longing for an innocence lost.

We come remembering those who lost their lives in New York, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania.

We are mindful of the sacrifice of public servants who demonstrated the greatest love of all by laying down their lives for friends. We commit their souls to your eternal care and celebrate their gifts to a fallen humanity.

We come remembering and we come in hope, not in ourselves, but in you.

As foundations we once thought secure have been shaken, we are reminded of the illusion of security.

In commemorating this tragedy, we give you thanks for your presence in our time of need and we seek to worship you in Spirit and in truth, our guide and our guardian. Amen.

Written by The Rev. Jeremy Pridgeon, District Superintendent of the Pensacola District of the Alabama-West Florida Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Zoom meeting for In-Person Worship

For the last two Sundays, I have offered our In-Person worship at 10:00 am through an "audio-only" Zoom meeting. I have broadcast this service with my phone, using my bluetooth microphone. So far, Ken Ries has joined our worship this way. I am offering this Zoom meeting for the benefit of those who do not have internet, and are able to join the service (meeting) using their land-line phone or smartphone.

I am going to try something a bit different on Sunday -- initiate and run the Zoom meeting through my laptop computer, in the same way that I do for the 8:30 YouTube livestream, except for the fact that the meeting will still be audio only. Using this method will enable potential remote worshipers to join either through their computer or smartphone, or through a dial-in call through their landline or smartphone.

Either way, the fact that we are streaming the live service, including hymns, over the internet, will necessitate the purchase of a streaming license. We recently purchased a reprint license fropm onelicense.com for $200 per year, which grants permission for us to reprint words of hymns in our bulletin which are not in the public domain and covered by OneLicense. Possession of that license will allow us to add a streaming to that license for $77 per year. We'll have a chance to discuss this at Council meeting next Tuesday

Sympathy to Pat Herman

We extend our sympathy to Pat Herman on the death of her sister, Gloria Poynter, who died last Friday. Graveside services were held today (Friday) at Greenlawn Memory Gardens, Clyde. You can read the obituary for Gloria here. Keep Pat and Gloria's family in your prayers.

St. John's Preschool Officially in session

St. John's Preschool kicked off its 2020-2021 year with their first day of class on Wednesday. For some, the first day came on Thursday. With each classroom being self-contained, and with fewer children, it is a bit quieter in the hallways, but when they move from their classroom to the playground, they can still be heard. Continued kudos to Linda and the staff for all their hard word and dedication in getting this school year off the ground under very different and difficult circumstances.

First Confirmation Session

We held the first Confirmation session on Wednesday evening from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. Our entire session was held outside -- we did a "counting" scavenger hunt (e.g. how many parking spaces in the parking lot? How many stained glass windows in the church and chapel? Howl man new Daikin AC condenser units are there around the church? I then had the kids do some chalk drawings on the parking lot near the main entrance to welcome the pre-school kids. Basically, everyone from last year is back, with the exception of Kaden, who was the sole 8th grader last year. We are joined with two new 6th graders, for a net gain of one in the program. Our sessions this year will focus on the Small Catechism, the sections on the Apostles' Creed and the Sacraments.

Bishop Election in NEOS

The Northeastern Ohio Synod is currently holding their Synod Assembly (via Zoom), which includes the election of a new bishop. The current Bishop, Abraham Allende, is not seeking a second term. Here are the results of the second ballot:

74 Karl Biermann
59 Laura Barbins
43 Angela Freeman-Riley
34 Robert Cheyney
32 Bruce Roth
31 Lisa Arledge
10 Sherman Bishop
10 Kevin Maxey

The top 8 advance, due to the tie for 7th. I know Karl -- good guy -- as I have worked with him in several possible interim placements through his position as Assitant to the Bishop. This gives him instant name recognition with Assembly voters, as he has been in many of the synod's congregations. Sherman Bishop was a seminary classmate, and just retired from his long-time call at Prince of Peace Westlake. I'm surprised that he's keeping his name in the running. Long time ago he was Assistant to the Bishop in NEOS and was nominated for bishop when Robert Kelley retired. Apparently the synod was not ready for a "Bishop Bishop." I wonder if they are now. The eight will speak individually to the assembly Saturday morning. Prayers for the Spirit to work and move in this election.

Zoom Meetings

• Synod Transitional Leaders met on Thursday afternoon. We are continuing our discussion of the book Bishop Daniel has recommended us to read - Field Guide for the Missional Congregation.
• Interim MInistry Network Support Group -- this is the group that is comprised of interim pastors of several denominations, and members from coast to coast and also in Germany.

Links for You

• Bishop Daniel's Weekly Email
• New Beginnings - news from Trinity Seminary by Dean Kit Kleinhans

Interim Update for September 4, 2020

Subscribe to YouTube channel!

When we started our YouTube presence for worship back in March, I set up a YouTube channel called St. John's Lutheran Bellevue. Once you have a channel, viewers can subscribe and receive notices of future content that is posted. Once you have 100 subscribers, YouTube will assign you a unique URL (web address) that you can share to promote your channel. We currently have 76 subscribers. Thanks to all who have subscribed so far, and if you haven't, would you, could you please? The goal is to reach 100 so we can get that unique URL Just click here to bring up last Sunday's service, and click the red "Subscribe" button, usually located below the video screen on the right hand side. Thanks!

Sympathy to Jim Colwell family

We extend our sympathy to Jim Colwell on the death of his father, Larry Graffice, who died on Tuesday. Graveside services will be next Tuesday at Pemberville cemetery. NWOS pastor Matt Musteric will officiate. You can read the obituary for Mr. Graffice here.

Thursday meetings

Worship committee met Thursday morning -- we made sure we have our readers lined up (the only worship leaders we've really needed since in-person resumed), and noted that Shaun, Mike and Lenny have been covering the ushering. Do we need to recruit more? We also reviewed how YouTube and drive-up communion had been progressing. I noted the technical programs that are sometimes encountered, as we have four platforms that we work through: YouTube to stream the service, Breeze and MailChimp to send out text message notice of the YouTube and in-person service, and Facebook where I also post info about our worship options. The difficulty last week was with MailChimp, which was running as slow as molasses in January.

The other meeting Thursday was the Stewardship Team met to participate in the introductory meeting of Beginning a Culture of Generosity, the Stewardship program that we elected to participate in at the August Council meeting. Our homework is to gather "impact" stories; share the ways that God has impacted people's lives through our congregation's ministry. The more that we can tell these stories, the more that members will be motivated to give. We give to causes that we believe in and that have an affect on people's lives. How about you? Do you have an impact story to tell? All I need is a paragraph, that I can share during worship (anonymously if that's what you prefer).

Giving Tree

I received info this week about the Giving Tree, the program that provides holiday help to Bellevue families. This program formerly was administered by the Bellevue Ministerial Association, but has now been adopted by Fireside UCC. I received the registration info, and will post it soon on our Facebook page, so the word can get out.

Confirmation Meeting

Confirmation youth and their parents met Wednesday evening for orientation to the coming school year of Confirmation ministry. My first question for the gathered group was "In-person or Zoom?" Guess what the preference was. You're right. In-person. So that's the plan, beginning next Wednesday. Our first meetings will be mostly outside, and we will do masks and distancing. Our course of study will be The Small Catechism -- The Apostles' Creed, and the Sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion. Parents have signed up to attend and help with supervision. I did not include any requirement or expectation for attending worship, other than encouragement to worship through YouTube if not coming in-person. Also, there will be no requirement for Sunday School for 6-8, nor for acolyting, at least for now.

Handbells for Katy

St. John's was approached by Katy Kohman (the Klein's daughter) who is a music teacher in Gibsonburg. She was looking for an musical option that doesn't require blowing (coronavirus risk), and had asked about the St. John's handbells. We check into it, and learned that our insurance would cover it, and gave the OK, but then learned that Katy finally had received the OK from Zion Lutheran Gibsonburg that she could use their tone chimes (actually a better option for children/youth). Katy isn't sure how long she'll be able to the use Zion chimes, so may ask us again in the future about the handbells

Preschool continues preparations

The final open house for St. John's Preschool was held this afternoon/evening, as Linda and staff get the final necessary pieces together for the opening of school on Wednesday, September 9. So much to do, but they get it all done! Kudos to all our Preschool staff and Board!+

Batman strikes again!

Na na na na na na na na, Na na na na na na na na ---
St. John's very own Batman, Lenny, strikes again. With the recent rains, a leak in the elevator entry caused a ceiling tile to fall, and in the midst of investigating, Lenny found a bat clinging to the wall behind the wastebasket. He removed it to the outside. Thank you, Lenny!

Links for you

• Bishop Daniel's Weekly Email
• New Beginnings - News from Trinity Lutheran Seminary
• Global Links -- news about Global Mission projects happeing around the world